26) Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance Hillbilly Elegy is a memoir written by someone from a poor white family in the middle of America, who 'got out' and made a success of themselves (going to a prestigious university and ending up at a venture capital firm. It became a bestseller in the US and has… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 26: Hillbilly Elegy
Category: memoir
Year 2 / Book 19: The Descent of Man
19) The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry For too long, I thought of Grayson Perry as 'that artist that wears a dress who won the Turner Prize'. It was his set of Reith Lectures which alerted me to the fact that this was also someone thinking deeply and clearly and brilliantly about modern life… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 19: The Descent of Man
Year 2 / Book 11: Zeitoun
11) Zeitoun by Dave Eggers I don't really know where to start when talking about this book. For reasons that I hope become clear. The simple facts are that it is a non-fiction book by Dave Eggers (one of my favourite authors) on what happens to a family both pre- and post- Hurricane Katrina in New… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 11: Zeitoun
Year 2 / Book 1: The Year of Living Danishly
So I've decided to continue the Book-A-Week thing, and this year started off in Copenhagen, so what better book to read than: 1) The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. It's a fairly undemanding tale of a London-based couple in their 30s leaving to go and live in Denmark for a year, after the… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 1: The Year of Living Danishly
Books 30-36 (& spares) / 2016
So it's been a while. Last update was start of July when I was on book number 29). So I think I missed 6 weeks. Fortunately, packed in quite a few hours of reading while on hols, so here goes. I've picked my summer faves (and one to avoid). Excuse epic post. 30) The White… Continue reading Books 30-36 (& spares) / 2016
Books 7-12 / 2016
7) Disclaimer by Renee Knight - decent page-turner thriller type with enough character depth & twists to keep me gripped. The central premise (you open a book to find you are in it etc) is a bit hokey but well used and it all just about stands up. Good holiday fodder. 6.5/10 8) The Saint-Facre… Continue reading Books 7-12 / 2016
Books 1-6 / 2016
1) Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither by Sara Baume. Attracted a bit of awards attention - a quite involving story of an outcast man and his outcast dog. But a bit overwritten (like someone fresh out of a Creative Writing programme) if affecting. Recommended for dog and adjective lovers only. 5.5/10 2) Jeff in Venice, Death… Continue reading Books 1-6 / 2016
Dog-eared Man: a book a week 